Aeroplane.



G'. M. MQMAHON.

AEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1912.

Lmqmggv Patented Jan. 13,1914.

2 SHEETShSHEET 2.

QNNELL McMl-ION, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

AEROPLANE.

' To all 'aa/tom it may concern.'

i by a puff or sudden gust of wind.

titi

A further object is to provide an aerplane which can be easily steered or guided.

Other objects of the invention willappear from the following detailed descrip tion.

'llhe invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as here inafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a frontv elevation of an aeroplane embodying my invention, Fig.` 2 is a plan View ofthe same,. the top plane being' broken away to illustrate more clearly the steering apparatus, 1F ig. 3

is a transverse vertical sectionalview of ,the

. toi1 17, 1s mounted preferably on the rear aeroplane, Fig. l is an endview, showingV the steering` lever drawn down to tilt the forward and rear rudders. .A v

ln the drawings, 2 represents a plate or board of varyinglength, according to the size of thel aeroplane, tapered at the ends and of suitable width to forni the bottom of the car. Posts 3 and t are provided at lthe ends of this board and project vertically therefrom. lin an aeroplane of the type shown, the post 3 is preferably about seven feet in height and the post 4 about nine feet in height. Above theV bottom board or floor of the car is a second board 5, of substan tially the same length, but narrower and also tapered at the ends and framed `into the? posts 3 and a a suitable distance above the car floor, preferably about eighteen inches. ltails 6 are secured to the posts 3 and 4l and extend preferably about nine inches above thev board l5. rllhese rails are preferably about thirty inches apart from the bends at one end to the corresponding bends at the other end. A canvas covering 7 is preferably secured to the bottom of the car and to the rails 'and incloses the car. `Suitable4 wheels 8 are mounted on the floor or bottom .from into a slot 28 in the board wvhich of the car, as shown in Fig. 8.v t at, each end of the car 1 provide rails specification of Letters latent.

Application filed April 13, 19122;

'.tically or swing horizontally therein.

Patented Jan. 13,19111. amai no. 690,639.

and 10, preferably about ,twenty-five feet long, the forward rail being, framed at its middle portion to the Vpost l-,prefcrably under the bent rails that forni the sides of the car, while the rail 10 is framed at its middle portion to the rear post 3, preferably about three inches above the bottom of the cur. 'l`hese two bars have a fiezrible covering' 11, such as canvas, forming a plane projecting laterally from each'side of the car.

y At the top of the posts 3 and 4 I provide bars 12 and 13, each having their middle portion framed to the top of the postsV with suitable cross bars at the middle and the ends. f1 frame is thus formed, having a covering 14 of canvas or other suitable material, making` the upper plane ofthe machine, and` on the top of this upper plane l prefer to provide a hood 15 of canvas or.

other suitable material, forming a chamber 1-6 between 1t and the upper plane which,

when filled with hot air or gas, will operate asa gas bag to hold the machine upright and resist a tilting or overturning tendency.

rlfhis gas 'bag is preferably semi-"oval inl form, as indicated in Fig. 3'. y

A suitable source of power, such as a mor end of the car, with its shaft journaled in the post 3, and a propeller 18 is mounted on said shaft. YThe post 3 is preferably hol` low, to form a passagey 19 communicating witht-he exhaust of theengine and with the chamber 16, outlets 20 being provided in the chamber to allow circulation therethrough and permit the escape of the surplus exhaust. The posts 3 and 4 have transverse slots 21, therein, the walls on each side of the slot in the post 3 being hollow and oommunicating with the passage 19 to allow the flow of the exhaust into the chamber. Forward and rear rudders 22 and 23 have their spindles or stems 24 and pivotally mount` ed in these slots and are adapted to tilt verf The slots or. mortises in the post preferably have rounded surfaces to allow for a considerable horizontal movement of the rudder stems, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2. The inner ends of the spindles 24 and 25 are in line substantially with one another normally, and have a exible connection, such as a spiral spring E26;l A lever Q7 is loosely mounted on said spring and depends lthereforms seat extending lengthwise of the ilo car to allow the aviator to sit in thecar in position to balance the aeroplane and ma.

grasping this lever, the driver of the car can tilt the rudders up or down or swing them laterally in much the same manner as a bird Asteers and controls his body by moving his head and tail up or down or to the right or left in flying through the air. The

slightest pressure on the lever will tilt the rudders vertically or laterally and counteract the effect ofthe air currents, enabling the person in the car to steer the machine at will, while the gas chamber will ,positively prevent the machine from overturning or the rider from losing control of the car. The rudders, as shown', are located 'preferably Aabove-the ends of the car in which the rider is seated and may be made of any suitable size, as the weight and carrying capacity .of the machine may demand. The gas chamber, instead of being filled with the exhaust from the engine, maybe charged with any suitable gas, usually employed by aeronauts.

The upper Aand lower planes are stiifened andbracedby means of guy wires Q9 and 30 connecting their outer portions with the frame of the car.l

I do not wish to be confined to the dimensionsl of the parts specified herein, `as in various ways these may b e modified and still be within' the scopeiof' my invention. I may also omit the canvas covering for the car, using merely a skeleton frame, should this construction be preferred. Y

I claim as my invention l. An aeroplane comprising a car, a lower plane composed of sections projecting outwardly from Athe Y car on opposite sides thereof and secured to the car, posts projecting upwardly from the forward and rear ends ofthe car, an upper plane mounted on said posts and having a gaschamber therein, said rear post .being hollow, and an internal .combustion engine mounted in the rea-r end of said car and having itseXha-u'st connected with said hollow rear post.

2,4 An aeroplane comprisinga car, a lower plane consisting of sections extending laterally on each side ofrsaid car 'and secured thereto, said sections being rearwardly and downwardly inclined from the forward portion of said car rtothe rear portion thereof, an upright post mounted .at the forward end of said car, a -second post mounted at the rear'end of said car and shorter than said forward post, and an upper plane carried by said posts and of substantially the same length as said vlower plane and inclined downwardly and rearwardly from said forward to said rear post and having a gas arched fabric forming, with said -upper plane mounted on said posts and con'- sisting of a lower fabric parallel substantially with said lower plane and an upper fabric, a, gas chamber extending from and `to end of said upper plane, and an internal combustion engine mounted in said car and having its exhaust connected through one of said posts with said gas chamber.

et. An aeroplane comprising a car, a lower plane composed of sections projecting outwardly from the car on opposite sides, posts mounted on the forward and rear portions of said ear, an upper plane carried by said posts and parallel substantially with the sections'of said lower plane, said upper plane consisting of parallel rails centrally mount-` A.

edvon the upper ends of said posts ander;- tending outwardly therefrom parallel 'with said lower plane, a fabric stretched .between said rails and secured thereto and forming the bottom of the upper'plane. an upper fabric also secured to said rails and arched over said lower fabric `forming therewith a gas chamber, the rear post being shorter than the forward one whereby said gas chamber will be rearwardly and downwardly inclined, a gas enginemounted insaid car near said rear post and khaving a propeller vand a steering rigging mounted on said forward and rear posts between said car and said 11pper plane.

5. An aeroplane comprising a car, substantially. in longitudinal section, the

oval

lowerplane composed of sections extending outwardly from each side of said car, and

downwardly and rearwardly inclined, postsA mounted in the forward and rear ends of said car, the rear post being shorter than the forward one, an upper plane centrally mounted on said posts and also downwardly and rearwardly inclined, the bottom of said upper plane being parallel substantially with said lower plane, a gas engine mounted in said car adjacent to said rear post and having a propeller and a steering rigging mounted on said @post between said car and said upper plane.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of April, i912.

CONNELL M. MCMAHON,

Witnesses GENEVIEVE E. SonnNsEN, EDWARD O. PAUL. 

